Wildlife Promise » Conservationhttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogFri, 31 Jul 2015 19:00:24 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3NWF’s Andy Buchsbaum Receives Honor from Michigan Environmental Councilhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/nwfs-andy-buchsbaum-receives-honor-from-michigan-environmental-council/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/nwfs-andy-buchsbaum-receives-honor-from-michigan-environmental-council/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 20:00:31 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=107608We are so pleased to share the news that Andy Buchsbaum, National Wildlife Federation’s Vice President of Conservation Action, is the recipient of the 2015 Helen & William Milliken Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Environmental Council. He will receive his award tonight in Ann Arbor.

The Helen & William Milliken Distinguished Service Award “recognizes individuals who show outstanding leadership, enduring commitment and extraordinary public service in protecting natural resources at the local, state and national levels.” Andy—who served as the Regional Executive Director for NWF’s Great Lakes office for 11 years before taking on his current role—has worked for decades to understand threats, identify solutions and build the political will needed to protect and restore the world’s greatest freshwater resource.

“Andy’s vision has guided some of the most decisive victories for the Great Lakes in the last decade. He is a true force for wildlife and all outdoor enthusiasts, and I’m proud that my good friend and colleague’s contributions are being honored with such a prestigious award.”

As an Illinois native, serving and protecting the Great Lakes is in Andy’s DNA. He has worked for grassroots organizations such as the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM) to support legislation to hold polluters responsible for their toxic messes, and larger organizations like the National Environmental Law Center, where his major victory against Dow Chemical in 1997 has had lasting impacts on the Saginaw River watershed.

During his tenure at NWF, Andy has helped to lead the teams of dedicated conservationists that achieved not one, but two once-a-generation policy wins in the 2008 Great Lakes Compact and the 2009 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), including co-founding and co-chairing the Healing Our Waters® – Great Lakes Coalition, the leading nongovernmental voice for the GLRI.

His efforts have brought a regional conversation to the national stage, securing significant support and funding and bipartisan support for crucial restoration efforts.

We offer our heartfelt congratulations to Andy for this outstanding achievement, and look forward to many years of conservation successes to come.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/06/nwfs-andy-buchsbaum-receives-honor-from-michigan-environmental-council/feed/0Saving Salmon in California: A Native Perspectivehttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/04/saving-salmon-in-california/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/04/saving-salmon-in-california/#commentsMon, 06 Apr 2015 13:38:25 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=105748A note from NWF’s California Director Beth Pratt: California Conservation Corp crew members and their leader John Griffith have embraced NWF’s Certified Wildlife Habitat program and certified their Ukiah campus, with plans of doing more sites across California. I recently visited with the crew and became so impressed with their dedication to helping wildlife that I offered a guest spot on the Wildlife Promise blog if they would write about their experiences. The first story, about the quest for the Pacific giant salamander, will have you wanting to encounter one of these slimy but cool creatures. The second story in the series, written by Nick Aquirre, tells the fascinating story of a continuing battle between predator and prey. In the third story in the series, Melina Di Stefano introduces you, with a great video, to the red-legged frog and how she works to save them. In this new blog, Kody Kibby talks about his lifelong relationship with salmon–and how he works to restore their habitat.

Kody Kibby working to restore salmon habitat with the California Conservation Corps (photo John Griffith/CCC)

The Oncorhynchus kisutch has more than one name. Fishermen call them “silvers.” Biologists call them “coho salmon.” My people, the Yurok, call them by their much older name: “ne-puey.” To the Yuroks, ne-puey are our brothers, sisters, and a gift. We honor them through gatherings, ceremonies, and prayer. We created our homes, dances, and culture around ne-puey: we’ve had a relationship with them that has lasted thousands of years. Today, this family member is in danger. The Yurok Tribe, along with many state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations, are working toward increasing the salmon population and fixing the damage that has been done to their habitat during California’s history.

I am doing my part for salmon in the California Conservation Corps (CCC)—a state youth workforce development program. I joined the CCC after I graduated from high school. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to pursue in life, but I knew that I loved the outdoors and my culture. The CCC has helped me combine the two. Being a corps member has been difficult at times. The CCC’s motto is: Hard Work, Low Pay, and Miserable Conditions. I learned that they weren’t kidding about that. In spite of the challenges, I worked hard every day. I grew. Eventually, I was promoted to crew leader and selected for the fire crew. Joining the program was a good decision.

I’ve participated in many types of ecological restoration projects during my time in the CCC, but this summer (my last summer in the program) I fought fires and worked on salmon habitat restoration projects.

When the CCC does salmon habitat restoration projects, we try to make the results of our efforts mimic natural processes. According to scientists, salmon evolved with a lot of wood in the streams. This wood came from the old growth forests that once lined the streams and rivers of California. Whether it was the huge branches of giant redwoods that dropped after a major storm, or fallen doug fir trees, the wood would cause the water of winter high flows to scour pools, sort gravel ideal for spawning, and provide much needed cover for salmon from predators. Salmon evolved with the effects of wood in their freshwater habitat. After a century of bad logging practices, which regularly involved clear cutting all the way to the water’s edge, wood was no longer a consistent source to aid the salmon in completing their lifecycle.

The CCC partners with non-profits like the Eel River Watershed Improvement group (ERWIG), private companies like Mendocino Redwood Company, and other state agencies like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to bring wood back into streams of the Eel River Watershed. Our logs are much smaller, so they have to be secured to bankside trees and bedrock to prevent them from being swept away during winter storms. Still, the smaller logs have a big impact in favor of fish. They provide some of the habitat requirements that salmon will need to help them during the part of their life spent in freshwater.

Chinook salmon in lower Tuolumne River (Photo Dan Cox/USFWS)

Restoration projects that improve habitat for salmon are being done in many different watersheds. But these efforts cannot resolve everything that negatively impact salmon, nor will these efforts alone create the healthy habitat we and ne-puey need. There are other barriers we must also face and overcome. For some people, building log structures along riverbanks is all it takes to make habitat “healthy.” To my tribe, and many other tribes along the coast and rivers of California, there is much more to do to achieve natural balance for salmon. Californians need to also change the way they think about salmon, or at least, try to understand how other people think about them. To my people losing salmon is losing a piece of tradition, culture, and heritage. When salmon disappear, we lose a piece of ourselves. Again… salmon/ne-puey are part of our family.

We can prevent the loss of more salmon from happening with continuing restoration efforts, open dialogue and inclusiveness among all stake holders, active cooperation by more community members and organizations, and more understanding of what salmon need. The Western World way of thinking has created obstacles for how we should see nature and each other. Not all people think of salmon as just a commodity. Overcoming these obstacles of conflicting worldviews and understanding each other’s differences are the key to success for salmon restoration, and achieving balance between two cultures that have been clashing since the beginning of America. We must all come together and work with each other (native and non-native people) to save ne-puey/salmon.

Coho salmon (Courtesy USFWS)

Thank you to the California Conservation Corps, the Eel River Watershed Improvement Group (ERWIG), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Mendocino Redwood Company for providing opportunities for California’s youth to help restore salmon in the Eel River Watershed.

Thanks to the Antiquities Act, Colorado’s Brown Canyon will be conserved as a national monument. Image: Judith Kohler

Sportsmen and women wanted it. Hikers, mountain bikers, rafters and business owners wanted it. Veterans’ groups wanted it. So did Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, former Sen. Mark Udall, former Rep. Joel Hefley and Sen. Michael Bennet. They all wanted to see Browns Canyon in central Colorado made a national monument.

In December 2014, more than 700 people poured into a community events center in Salida for a chance to speak out on the proposal to establish the 22,000-acre Browns Canyon National Monument where the Arkansas River, one of the country’s best whitewater rafting spots, flows. Most of the speakers supported conserving the recreation and wildlife gem. Many of them, including Bill Dvorak, the National Wildlife Federation’s public lands organizer and one of the state’s premier rafting guides, had been waiting more than 20 years.

Listening to the Public

President Barack Obama responded by making Browns Canyon one of the country’s newest national monuments. After years of inaction by Congress, the president used his authority under the Antiquities Act to ensure that the rugged backcountry, important fish and wildlife habitat and recreation destination will be around for a long time. The act, under attack by members of Congress, has been invoked by presidents from both parties since 1906 to establish 142 national monuments.

“It was surreal,” Dvorak said of the invitation to meet with Obama and others at a Feb. 24 ceremony marking the declaration. “We didn’t know it was going to happen until shortly before and I was scrambling to get a flight out. I didn’t have much time to think it over.”

But he’s had plenty of time to think about the value of Browns Canyon and the wisdom of conserving it. And he rejects arguments by critics in Congress that the public was left out of the decision to make it a national monument.

“You can’t have more public input than we have had. You’re never going to get 100 percent consensus, but we had overwhelming public support,” Dvorak said.

Without the Antiquities Act, the future of Browns Canyon would’ve been uncertain, he added. He pointed out that mining claims were recently filed in the area, renowned for its trout fishing. The area provides habitat for bighorn sheep, mountain lions, mule deer, elk, black bears and raptors. It gives hikers clear views of the bank of surrounding Fourteeners — mountains more than 14,000 feet in elevation.

Dvorak, president of the community group Friends of Browns Canyon, and Keith Baker, the group’s executive director, were recently honored by the Conservation Lands Foundation as public lands advocates of the year for their work on helping win approval of a monument designation.

Former Rep. Joel Hefley, a conservative Republican whose district included Browns Canyon, wrote an op-ed in January urging action. He saw his bill to conserve the site stall in Congress in 2006 “due to Washington-style politics at their worst.” Former Sen. Udall asked Obama to use his executive authority after his legislation proposing a national monument failed to advance.

“I urge the president and the Colorado congressional delegation to listen to the people of Chaffee County and come together once again to finally get this decades-long effort over the finish line,” Hefley wrote.

Thanks to the Antiquities Act, there was a way to honor the public’s will while conserving some of our country’s natural resource legacy and outdoor heritage. After years of grassroots work by diverse coalitions, important wildlife habitat, hunting, fishing and recreation areas and stunning landscapes were ensured lasting spots in that legacy when Obama established the Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks national monuments in New Mexico.

Members of Congress working to gut the Antiquities Act contend that presidential declarations to save historic, natural and archaeological treasures are a top-down approach that cuts out the public. Just looking at the list of places set aside by presidents starting with Theodore Roosevelt reveals how crucial this law has been to enriching Americans’ lives. The list includes the Grand Canyon, Muir Woods, Capitol Reef, the Statue of Liberty, Dinosaur and Bandelier national monuments. And far from doing an end-run around the public, the Antiquities Act has given the public a voice and someone to listen when Congress refuses to.

After more than 20 years of work, public support has helped win approval of the Browns Canyon National Monument. Image: Susan Mayfield

Bighorn sheep are one of the many species that benefit from strong climate action taken by women (photo: USFWS)

NWF is celebrating Women’s History Month this March by recognizing women who have made a difference in protecting our wildlife and natural resources!

Women are making an impact. But their contributions to wildlife conservation often go unrecognized. Women are leaders in the conservation field and climate action movement through their powerful roles as business owners, scientists, educators, NGO leaders, writers, and activists.

Unfortunately, women are poorly represented in national and international decision-making about climate change (less than 25% of the head delegates in recent international climate negotiations were women!), despite the fact that women in the U.S. and around the world will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. Indigenous women, women from low-income communities, and many women in developing countries bear a heavier burden from the impacts of climate change because they are more likely to rely on natural resources, live in areas with poor infrastructure, or be responsible for food production and water collection.

The actions of women can help big game species like moose, which are impacted by warming temperatures (photo: Nelma Oman)

Women are also increasing their status as an important part of the sporting world; today women are the fastest-growing hunting and angling demographic in the country. However, studies have also demonstrated that girls have less access to outdoor play compared to boys of the same age, which can have impacts on both physical and mental health. To get more kids and girls in the outdoors check out NWF’s Great American Campout program.

Recognizing women’s achievements and celebrating their leadership is not only deserved, but necessary to reach the goal of protecting our communities, landscapes, and wildlife from the impacts of climate change. It is thanks to many women that we have the Clean Power Plan, EPA’s rule to limit carbon pollution from existing power plants; a strong clean energy industry; and a conservation movement that protects wildlife for generations to come.

Let’s celebrate! Below are some of the conservation women leaders that we have decided to highlight. To share a woman in conservation that you admire use #ConservationWomen.

Historical Women in Conservation

Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964)

Many of these women worked to protect birds, like hawks. Today climate change threatens nearlyhalf of all North American bird species. (photo: Kerrie Best)

Carson, a western Pennsylvania native, is most famously known for her ground breaking 1962 book Silent Spring, which brought the environmental movement to the mainstream. Silent Spring documented the detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly birds, and helped lead to the eventual ban of DDT. “But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.”

Rosalie Edge (1877 – 1962)

Edge was a woman’s suffragist and species preservation advocate, who during the great depression was considered the U.S.’s “most militant conservationist”. She pushed the conservation community to take stronger measures and protect a wider range of bird species. In 1934 she founded the world’s first preserve for birds of prey, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. She was also successful in leading grassroots campaigns and lobbying congress to create national parks and purchase old-growth forest.

Founder of the Green Belt Movement, Maathai was an environmental and political activist born in Nairobi, Kenya. Her organization focused on planting trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights. In 2004 she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace”.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890 – 1998)

Douglas was a journalist for the Miami Herald and activist defender of the Florida Everglades from the dangers of development and pollution. In 1947 she wrote the book The Everglades: River of Grass, which helped redefine the Everglades as a treasured river rather than a worthless swamp. This work helped galvanize people to protect the Everglades.

Margaret “Mardy” Murie (1902 – 2003)

The habitat of bears, which women like Murie helped to protect, is now threatened by climate change. (photo: Edward Pivorun)

Considered the “grandmother of conservation”, Murie was a wildlife activist and ecologist who grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska. Her activism helped pass the 1964 Wilderness Act and create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2003, Murie was awarded NWF’s Conservationist of the Year.

Mollie Beattie (1947 – 1996)

Beattie was the first woman appointed to be director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While there, she was integral in landmark environmental laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act. Some of her most notable accomplishments include overseeing the reintroduction of the grey wolf to Yellowstone and the creation of fifteen new wildlife refuges. “In the long term, the economy and the environment are the same thing. If it’s unenvironmental it is uneconomical. That is the rule of nature.”

Donella Meadows (1941 – 2001)

Meadows was an environmental scientist most famous for authoring Limits to Growth, a discussion of the consequence of interactions between the Earth and human systems. In addition to this publication she was also a professor at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and founder of the Sustainability Institute, a place for research on global systems and practical demonstrations of sustainable living.

Gina McCarthy: Today’s Clean Power Plan Champion

McCarthy is working to save bald eagles from two of their largest threats: mercury poisoning and climate change. (photo: USFWS)

McCarthy has taken the President’s call to act on climate and made it one of her top priorities for the EPA, most notably through the release of the Clean Power Plan rule. In her speech announcing the CPP, she said this:

“It’s no accident that our proposal is a key piece of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan—and key to American leadership in our global climate fight. Although there’s still much work to do to get carbon pollution down to safe levels, I’m hopeful when I see the progress we’ve made. I’m hopeful because I see the pattern of perseverance that defines America.”

Even before the Clean Power Plan and her role as administrator, McCarthy had many conservation successes. McCarthy oversaw the development of the first mercury and air toxics standards which delivered huge protections to wildlife like the bald eagle, as well as public health benefits for many Americans. McCarthy also helped design and implement strong national fuel economy standards and launched a successful No Child Left Inside program in Connecticut.

As ancient glaciers retreated over 10,000 years ago, millions of shallow depressions were left in the earth. These potholes fill with snowmelt and water in the spring, creating valuable wetlands – prairie pothole wetlands – that support rich plant and animal life.

The Great Plains of America once boasted the most extensive grassland in the world, with 100,000 acres of prairie pothole wetlands. Today, half of these wetlands have been drained for agricultural development. They’re GONE.

And so, too, went half the habitat for birds like the American Avocet, which nest every spring in these wetlands.

No one ever forgets their first siting of an American Avocet. It’s a tall, well-groomed bird with a long, upturned bill and striking coloration. Flocks of these birds can be seen tipping forward in unison, swinging their heads rhythmically from side to side, skimming the surface of the water for tiny food items.

Females sometimes play musical nests! A Female American Avocet may lay eggs in the nest of another female, who then nurtures the eggs. She may even lay eggs in other species’ nests, like the Mew Gull.

Chicks are quick swimmers. Chicks leave the nest within 24 hours after hatching. One day old Avocets can walk, swim and some even dive to escape predators.

Co-parenting FTW! Both parents build the nest and tend the chicks.

On defense, they can be ventriloquists. When faced with a predator, the Avocet sometimes issues a series of call notes that gradually changes pitch. This makes it seem like its approaching faster than it actually is.

New Mexicans worked for years to see the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks named a national monument. Image: Patrick J. Alexander

Top-down or grassroots — it’s all a matter of perspective.

Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho has introduced a bill, S. 228, to block presidents from establishing national monuments. In a news release, Crapo criticized “top-down national monument designations” as potentially harmful to the local economy and public access.

But from the perspective of communities in Crapo’s home state, to Montana, Colorado and New Mexico, federal legislation blocking use of the Antiquities Act might look like a “top-down” response to public-lands management.

In fact, recent monument designations have been the result of years of work and lobbying by diverse community coalitions. In other words, the president was responding to grassroots campaigns, just as other chief executives from both political parties have since 1906.

After Rio Grande del Norte in northern New Mexico was declared a national monument in 2013, Kent Salazar, the Western vice chairman of National Wildlife Federation’s board of directors said: “We’ve been working on this for 15 years. Hunters and anglers support protecting Rio Grande del Norte. Environmentalists, ranchers and businesses support it. Native Americans have been hunting and fishing this area forever.”

National monuments matter to Americans

“We’ve been working on this for more than a decade. Sportsmen, many of whom own local businesses, have been diligently reaching out to community leaders and elected officials to make permanent protection of these important lands a reality,” John Cornell of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation said after President Barack Obama proclaimed the nearly half-million-acre area a national monument.

In Idaho and Colorado, many hunters, anglers, wildlife advocates and other outdoor enthusiasts would like to join the celebration. Members of Sportsmen for Boulder-White Clouds support using the Antiquities Act as the “clearest path” to conserving the world-class fishing and hunting country in central Idaho because legislation has failed so far.

“I think sportsmen and conservationists in Idaho are tired of waiting,” Idaho Wildlife Federation Executive Director Michael Gibson told a reporter. “People have been working on protections in the Boulder-White Clouds for 50 years.”

For more than two decades, Coloradans have been hoping to see Browns Canyon made a national monument to maintain the rugged backcountry, hunting, fishing and whitewater rafting that draws people from across the country. Former Sen. Mark Udall, Sen. Michael Bennet and Gov. John Hickenlooper called on President Barack Obama to use his executive authority to establish a monument after legislation failed to advance in the 113th Congress. More than 500 people signed up to speak during a meeting in December that was attended by federal officials seeking public comments. Former Rep. Joel Hefley, who saw his Browns Canyon bill stall in 2006 due to “Washington-style politics at their worst,” wrote a recent op-ed urging action.

“I’m hoping that we’ve finally pushed this thing through. It certainly deserves that protection after all these years and all the support we’ve generated,” Bill Dvorak, NWF public lands organizer and longtime rafting guide in Browns Canyon, told The Denver Post after the meeting in December.

There is wide public support for making Colorado’s Browns Canyon a national monument. Image: Susan Mayfield

Conserve our public treasures; Preserve the Antiquities Act

All the public, grassroots support would mean little if a president, who, after study and listening to community requests, would still have to win congressional approval to establish a new national monument. After all, congressional gridlock and ideological objections to conserving public lands are the reasons people to push for action under the Antiquities Act in the first place.

“It is critical that states and affected stakeholders where a monument could be located play a key role in the decision-making process,” Crapo said when he announced his bill to fundamentally change the Antiquities Act.

What really is critical is that Americans have another avenue when Congress ignores affected stakeholders and communities. It is critical to preserve the Antiquities Act, which gave us Grand Canyon National Park, Muir Woods National Monument, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument…and many, many more.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/national-monuments-matter-to-americans-preserve-the-antiquities-act/feed/1Crane Trust Welcomes Bison Homehttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/crane-trust-welcomes-bison-home/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/crane-trust-welcomes-bison-home/#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 15:15:03 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=103304On a non-descript Saturday, January 17th 2015, just before sunset, trucks hauling trailers pulled into a field near Alda, Nebraska. A place of solitude, with Nebraska’s last remaining tall and mixed-grass prairie along the North Platte River, the quiet of this space, known as The Crane Trust, was broken by the sounds of engines and people cheering.

In the middle of Nebraska, really in the middle of “nowhere,” something seemed amiss. Were people gathered for a pre-party ahead of the Monster Truck Rally in nearby Grand Island? No. The 70-plus people had come together to view something that had not been seen in over 150 years – the return of bison.

A buffalo calmly surveys his new home on The Crane Trust before lumbering off the truck. Photo by Garrit Voggesser

After a five-hour drive from Northern Nebraska, the buffalo had returned home. Amongst the 70-plus greeters, was Louis LaRose, a member of the Winnebago Tribe and a long-time advocate of bison restoration to empower and educate tribal youth and communities about their historical and cultural connections to bison. Louis was the emcee of sorts, a tribal elder that set the stage for the bison’s return. Before the bison came off to the truck, Louis said, he had to talk to the buffalo.

Louis LaRose, a member of the Winnebago Tribe, talks to the bison. Photo by Garrit Voggesser.

After talking to and praying with the bison, Louis said, “Let them go!” In short order, the two trucks backed up next to a pasture and 39 bison lumbered off into their new residence.

I asked Louis what he said to the buffalo. “You are free, we will take care of you as you have taken care of us,” I told them, “Welcome home.” Then Louis turned to the crowd gathered and a hush fell upon them. “The female buffalo is the babysitter to the herd. You must do the same for them.” Louis held up his hands and advised, “I wish I were younger, then I would do what I’m about to ask you to do.” “Bring your kids and your grandkids,” Louis said as he surveyed the crowd. “These buffalo are family and you must make them your family. Watch them, observe them, and they will teach you.”

The buffalo return home. Photo by Garrit Voggesser.

The Crane Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and maintenance of critical habitat for whooping cranes, sandhill cranes and other migratory birds along the Big Bend Region of the Platte River Valley through sound science, habitat management, community outreach and education. The Crane Trust was formed in 1978 as part of a court-approved settlement of a controversy over the construction of Grayrocks Dam on a tributary of the Platte River in Wyoming. The state of Nebraska and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) objected to the project, claiming it would jeopardize irrigation and wildlife downstream in Nebraska. The settlement satisfied requirements of the Endangered Species Act and allowed the Missouri Basin Power Project, owners of Grayrocks, to complete construction. The Crane Trust was funded by a payment from the Missouri Basin Power Project, and income from the endowment is used to finance land acquisition to protect wildlife.

One of the goals of the Crane Trust is to restore, maintain and protect natural habitat. But keeping the land in its natural state is difficult without the presence of historic species. “So now the dominant species [bison] is back. I’m really excited,” Chuck Cooper, President of the Crane Trust explained. The Trust has already conducted scientific research showing that the presence of bison reduces invasive plant species. Now, they will continue their research with the belief that bison will also help revive native plants and flowers as well as help revive other wildlife species (as has been proven on the Fort Peck Reservation, where bird species that had absent returned after bison were brought back).

Just after sunset, I drove west towards home in Colorado. I was exhausted after a 12-hour day, but I also felt amazed – after more than twelve years of working to bring bison back to tribal and conservation lands (and more than 25 years of National Wildlife Federation endeavoring on the effort), we had helped bring more than 240 bison back in the short span of two and a half years (including on the Fort Peck and Fort Belknap Reservations). When I made it back to Colorado, my wife said, “Welcome home,” and I thought of the bison at The Crane Trust.

How You Can Help

We aren’t done. Many other areas are seeking to restore bison back to their original territory, but we need your help to make it happen.

Your donation can help our work to restore bison back to tribal lands—donate here. To read more about our efforts and long term vision, go to our website www.nwf.org/tribalbison.

You can like National Wildlife Federation’s Tribal Lands Partnerships Facebook page here to stay updated on all bison related news and events.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/crane-trust-welcomes-bison-home/feed/0Longleaf Pine Restoration Included in New Era of Conservationhttp://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/longleaf-pine-restoration-included-in-new-era-of-conservation/
http://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/longleaf-pine-restoration-included-in-new-era-of-conservation/#commentsThu, 22 Jan 2015 14:51:42 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=103299USDA made an announcement last week that will help NWF’s work on longleaf pine restoration in the southeast. Farm Bill funds will provide support to partners exploring the economics and incentives for increasing the acreage of sustainable, working forests on private lands in the southeast.

NWF Working to Protect Forests and Wildlife

NWF’s Southeast Forestry Program is dedicated to projects that protect and restore forests and wildlife habitats throughout the region, and longleaf pine restoration remains a keystone to our program and our affiliates. Since 2007, we have worked with the Alabama Wildlife Federation to plant, manage, and restore over 9,000 acres of longleaf pine forests on private lands. This program is important to us and the landowners we work with, as longleaf pine provides income through sustainable timber practices, recreational purposes (i.e. quality hunting habitat, bird watching), aesthetics as it is a beautiful ecosystem with a vibrant understory, and has meaningful cultural and intrinsic values to the southeast.

Longleaf Pine Forests Provide Excellent Wildlife Habitat

Longleaf pine forests provide an ideal habitat for wildlife due to the high level of biodiversity found in the ecosystem, as longleaf provides crucial components needed for wildlife survival such as food, water, cover and space. Wildlife species found in longleaf pine forests include the northern bobwhite quail, red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, striped newts, pinewoods treefrogs, pine and prairie warblers, eastern indigo snakes, Bachman’s sparrows, white-tailed deer, the Eastern wild turkey and many more. Twenty-nine species on the Federal threatened or endangered lists are found in these forests, however these pine forests are one of the most endangered landscapes in North America. Balancing economic, ecological and social values is crucial to restoration goals and is recognized by the federal government, private companies, and conservation organizations alike.

The Conservation Fund and Resource Management Service, LLC (RMS) were awarded a first-time partnership to create a 205,000 acre working, sustainable longleaf pine forest in the lower Alabama and Florida panhandle region. By keeping longleaf pine in privately-owned timber production, environmental and economic benefits will be made possible by establishing the first large landscape model for the conservation of longleaf pine. This project will enhance over 44 at-risk species’ habitat, restore approximately 150,000 acres of longleaf pine, protect water quality and quantity to the Gulf of Mexico, and at least 80 jobs will be retained. NWF’s Southeast Forestry Program provided a declaration of support for this project, as we have a vested interest the optimization of both economic and ecological benefits with longleaf restoration.

Focusing on Forests

I applaud the USDA in their inclusion of the longleaf pine range and the two projects selected as recipients of federal conservation funding, and hope to see additional programs and projects aimed at sustaining forest habitats such as longleaf pine funded in the future. Forest restoration and wildlife habitat are distinctly and highly integrated; the longleaf pine forest is an exemplary model of a species deserving of conservation efforts and initiatives underway to restore these forests and consequently, wildlife.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2015/01/longleaf-pine-restoration-included-in-new-era-of-conservation/feed/012 Wins for Wildlife in 2014 That YOU Made Possiblehttp://blog.nwf.org/2014/12/12-wins-for-wildlife-in-2014-that-you-made-possible/
http://blog.nwf.org/2014/12/12-wins-for-wildlife-in-2014-that-you-made-possible/#commentsTue, 16 Dec 2014 13:43:32 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=102485Sometimes it’s hard to see how one small act can make a difference in this world. How can signing a petition or casting a vote or making a donation save a species?

Let me show you.

In 2014, friends like you joined together with the National Wildlife Federation and our great state affiliates to defend nature’s gifts – our wildlife, our waterways, our treasured natural lands — for now and for generations to come.

And we won! We won victories for bison and bears and meadowlark and mountain lions, and so much more. We won because supporters like you stood up, showed up, spoke up and signed up.

Let’s celebrate these victories together. Here are just a sampling of the inspiring wins for wildlife your support made possible this year.

We are profoundly grateful for your passion and commitment to wildlife.

WIN #1

WILD BISON: Back Where They Belong on Tribal Lands

More than any other species, the American bison is a true icon of the prairie wilderness. Found nowhere else on the planet, tens of millions of wild bison used to roam the continent’s vast grasslands.

Then, in the 19th century, bison were slaughtered to the brink of extinction. Their comeback has been agonizingly slow.

In 2014, with support from friends of wildlife like you, we worked closely with the Montana Wildlife Federation and other partners to achieve a stunning breakthrough for wild bison – returning 138 of these magnificent beasts to their historic range on Assiniboine and Sioux tribal lands on Fort Peck Reservation in Montana.

WIN #2

ORCA: Dirty Coal Project Stopped!

In August, wildlife advocates, led by our Oregon state affiliate the Association of Northwest Steelheaders, secured a huge win for orcas, trout and many more wildlife in the Pacific Northwest when Oregon Governor Kitzhaber rejected a permit for the Port of Morrow coal export terminal.

The decision severely hinders any future progress on this dangerous project, which would have destroyed crucial fish habitat, polluted critical waterways and accelerated climate change.

WIN #3

MOUNTAIN LION: California Habitat Permanently Protected

In October, President Obama permanently protected 346,000 acres of wild land in California’s San Gabriel Mountains that provide critical habitat for mountain lions and other wildlife. More than 21,000 National Wildlife Federation friends joined with numerous local organizations to make it happen.

Protecting this amazing range is a homerun for wildlife and all outdoor enthusiasts. The monument designation protects vital wildlife habitat not only for mountain lions, but also other wildlife such as California condors, yellow-legged frogs and Nelson’s bighorn sheep.

Next step for mountain lions: create a wildlife crossing that will provide safe passage near the Santa Monica Mountains, where their natural range is split by a massive, multi-lane freeway.

WIN #4

BROWN BEAR & SALMON: Bristol Bay Forever Initiative Passes

A proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska would be the largest open pit mine in North America and cause disastrous, irreversible damage to Bristol Bay, home to the greatest remaining runs of wild sockeye salmon on earth.

Fortunately, voters across Alaska rose up this fall in support of the Bristol Bay Forever Initiative ballot measure, which was led by the Renewable Resources Coalition, our Alaska affiliate. The measure now requires legislative approval and an environmental review and finding of no significant fisheries impact from any mining project in the watershed of the Bristol Bay Fisheries, which provides another layer of protection for this stunning natural resource.

In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took steps in February to protect Bristol Bay from the proposed Pebble Mine! Friends of wildlife submitted more than 35,000 comments denouncing the project.

This is all tremendous news for salmon, brown bear and all people who prize our magnificent wild lands.

WIN #5

MOOSE: No Dirty Tar Sands Oil in Maine

Over the past few years, the oil industry has been quietly advancing plans to ship Canadian tar sands from South Portland, which would include large industrial combustion towers that would spew toxic chemicals in the air, threatening the health of people and wildlife like moose along South Portland’s scenic coast.

Following strong advocacy by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, our state affiliate, in July, the South Portland, Maine, City Council passed an ordinance that would prohibit toxic tar sands oil from being loaded onto tankers in this coastal port.

This victory shows that the persistent efforts of tens of thousands of wildlife advocates like you, who are saying NO to tar sands, are paying off!

WIN #6

In November, New Jersey voters said yes to Public Questions 2 – the New Jersey Open Space Preservation Funding Amendment with staff from our state affiliate, New Jersey Audubon helping to lead the way. The measure dedicates state funds to protect the state’s clean drinking water, open spaces, farmland and historic sites, as well as improve water quality and clean up polluted sites across the whole Garden State.

The measure is a win-win for New Jersey voters and the wildlife like great blue heron that need healthy waterways to survive.

WIN #7

MANATEE: Funding Approved for Habitat Restoration

Florida manatees have fascinated people for centuries, from early sailors thinking they were mermaids, to families visiting everglades today. But pollution and coastal development are damaging their habitat.

In November, Florida conservation voters secured a victory for manatees and other wildlife with the passage of Florida Amendment 1, placed on the ballot by the signatures of nearly one million concerned Floridians. This would not have happened without the strong support of the Florida Wildlife Federation.

The initiative will provide more than 15 billion dollars of dedicated funding to restore the Everglades, protect drinking water sources, and revive the state’s historic commitment to preserving natural lands and wildlife habitat.

WIN #8

MEADOWLARK: Congress Passes Wildlife-Friendly Farm Bill

Meadowlarks, vibrantly colored songbirds, build their nests and forage for food in native grasslands, meadows, and farm fields during the winter.

And now, farmers can help them!

In February, after years of persistent effort by tens of thousands of wildlife advocates and dozens of National Wildlife Federation affiliates, Congress passed a new farm bill that provides huge wins for wildlife. The 2014 Farm Bill is a strong, conservation-friendly bill that supports healthy soil, clean water and abundant habitat for wildlife. It contains a substantial increase in funding to help farmers create wildlife habitat on working lands and important improvements for protecting our fragile native grasslands.

WIN #9

CARIBOU: Keystone XL Pipeline on Hold

Adapted to live in wintry climes, caribou have snowshoe-like hooves and antlers that they use to shovel aside snow to reach the caribou moss and lichen beneath.

Sadly, the caribou herds in the tar sands area are at great risk from the loss of their boreal forest habitat to development, timber cutting and tar sands oil projects destroying the landscape. The massive Keystone XL tar sands pipeline threatens what remains of their fragile habitat.

Thanks to advocates like you, Keystone is on hold.

In April, Secretary of State John Kerry delayed a decision on the Keystone XL pipeline, citing the need for more clarity on the project’s route. There is no doubt that the comments submitted from tens of thousands of conservationists like you made the difference.

This fight is not over. The battle will surely flare up and intensify again in 2015.

WIN #10

DEER: New Safeguards in Place

Heading outdoors to spot a white-tailed deer is a cherished past-time for many Missouri citizens, but a deadly epidemic of chronic wasting disease threatens free-ranging herds. Yet some legislators in Missouri proposed to reclassify captive deer as livestock. Yes, livestock like cows. Missouri Governor Nixon vetoed the measure, but the legislature tried to overturn his veto. If it wasn’t for the tireless fight of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, our state affiliate, which helped stop the legislature from overriding the veto, deer populations across Missouri would be at greater risk of disease.

Further, after hearing from more than 40,000 friends of wildlife like you, officials voted unanimously to strengthen safeguards that help protect wild deer and elk from disease in Missouri.

While this fight is far from over, our support of wildlife has helped curb the spread of this fatal disease.

WIN #11

SCREECH OWL: Thousands of New Trees Provide Homes and Food for Wildlife

Trees throughout America are rapidly disappearing right now, leaving wildlife like screech owls without cavities to nest in. Known for their distinctive trill, screech owls are found most anywhere deciduous trees are found. However, these adorable little owls cannot survive if all the trees in a locale disappear.

WIN #12

GOPHER TORTOISE: Garden for Wildlife Volunteers to the Rescue

Gopher Tortoises have roamed the Earth for somewhere between 500,000 and 2 million years. Habitat loss and other threats caused their numbers to diminish in the last few decades, and today they are listed as a federally threatened species in Louisiana, Mississippi and part of Alabama. The State of Florida considers them threatened as well.

Enter the NWF Community Wildlife Habitat Team for Oakland Park, Fla.

This group of volunteers has worked successfully with the City Council to create a habitat for adopted gopher tortoises at the Lakeside Sand Pine Preserve. In addition, volunteers have educated children and youth through NWF’s Schoolyard Habitats program and created more than 150 wildlife habitats and gardens at schools, homes and businesses.

We’re happy to report the Sand Pine Preserve tortoise family is growing – a new juvenile burrow has been spotted by NWF volunteers – and that the city just achieved its certified Community Wildlife Habitat status.

Supporters of making Colorado’s Brown Canyon a national monument hope that President Obama will approve a designation. Photo courtesy of Friends of Browns Canyon.

Coloradans and people from across the country who flock to Browns Canyon for its renowned whitewater rafting are hoping the area 140 miles southwest of Denver will soon become the country’s newest national monument. Colorado Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet have asked President Barack Obama to use his executive authority to make it happen. Collin O’Mara, the National Wildlife Federation’s CEO and president, joined Colorado Wildlife Federation Executive Director Suzanne O’Neill in sending a letter to ask the president to add to his conservation legacy “by protecting the unique values of Browns Canyon.” In a Nov. 19 letter, Chris Wood, Trout Unlimited CEO and president, told Obama that a monument designation would preserve fish and wildlife habitat and maintain outdoor recreation important to the Arkansas River valley and the state of Colorado economies.

Rallying the public for Browns

The hope is to add great public heft to those calls when Udall and Bennet host a public meeting Saturday in the mountain town of Salida. U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director Steve Ellis are among the public officials expected to be on hand to gauge support for establishing the 22,000-acre Browns Canyon National Monument.

“We locals and people across the region know what a spectacular place Browns Canyon is and what a tragedy it would be not to take steps to keep it that way. Everyone who loves Browns and loves fishing, hunting, rafting and hiking needs to speak up and make sure President Obama understands what this place means to all of us,” Dave Moore said.

Bill Dvorak, NWF’s public lands organizer and longtime rafting guide, has been working for about 20 years to help win protection for Browns Canyon. He has taken several members of the media, elected officials and business owners on trips down the Arkansas, one of the country’s most popular whitewater destinations. Recreation on the Arkansas generated nearly $56 million in economic benefits in 2013, according to estimates by the Colorado River Outfitters Association.

The Arkansas River through Browns Canyon is one of the country’s most popular whitewater destinations. Photo by John Fielder.

Fishing is big in Browns Canyon. The state wildlife agency recently classified a 102-mile stretch of the Arkansas as Gold Medal trout waters, based on the quality and quantity of fish. The area’s rugged backcountry, marked by granite rock formations, is prized by hunters. The canyon provides habitat for bighorn sheep, mule deer, elk, bears, mountain lions, falcons, eagles and imperiled bats. Hikers in areas proposed as wilderness in a bill by Udall can get great views of some of Colorado’s famous Fourteeners — mountains more than 14,000 feet in elevation. “Protection of Browns Canyon, arguably the most popular and scenic stretch of river in the U.S. is a no-brainer,” Dvorak said. Elected officials and supporters have worked for years to get a bill through Congress to make Browns a national monument. Previous efforts won bipartisan support from Colorado’s congressional delegation, and that was when the proposed monument was much larger — roughly 100,000 acres. However, legislation stalled.

Leaving a legacy

The latest bill, sponsored by Udall, was developed during 18 months with support from a diverse group of people. Udall said the bill, S. 1794, co-sponsored by Bennet, has been endorsed by more than 200 local businesses, area elected officials, many recreation and sportsmen’s organizations, the Vet Voice Foundation and the Hispanic Access Foundation.

Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, left, hikes in Browns Canyon with supporters of making it a national monument. Photo by Sarah Pizzo.

“While we remain committed to the legislative process, the gridlock in Congress has stymied this proposal and many others. We feel the future economic benefits of a national monument designation are significant for the region and we should not allow Congressional gridlock to deprive Colorado of those benefits,” Udall and Bennet wrote in a letter last week to Obama. In New Mexico, grassroots, diverse coalitions worked for years to protect Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, but legislation failed to move forward in Congress, said Max Trujillo with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and deputy director of HECHO, Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and Outdoors. “President Obama’s decision to use his executive authority to make Rio Grande del Norte and Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks national monuments means fish and wildlife habitat will be protected and people of all ages and means will continue to have places to hunt, fish, hike and enjoy the outdoors,” Trujillo added.